Self-service store equipment



April 3, 1928. 1,664,945

A. c. ROBERT SELF SERVICE STORE EQUIPMENT Filed Jan. 12. 1926 2Sheets-Sheet 1 LOJ) April 3, 1928.

A. C. ROBERT SELF sERvIcE STORE E UIPMENT Filed Jan. 12. 1926 2Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORN EY INVENTOR Patented Apr. 3, 1928.

STATES ALEXANDER C. ROBERT, OF DESDEMONA, TEXAS.

SELF-SERVICE Q EQUIPMENT:

Application filed January This invention relates to improvements ingrocery store equipment and it refers more particularly to thearrangement and construction of such equipment as applied toself-service stores.

The primary object of the invention is to provide equipment forself-service grocery stores'inwhich'the shelving and other equip- Igrant will occupy as small an area as 'pos- 1U sible and thus conservethe floor space and yet provide ample means of access to'the goods.

Another object of the invention is'to provide a store equipment wherebythe customers may select their goods at one designated point withoutunnecessary steps.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a store. equipmentconstructed in units, the units lending adaptability of construction tostores of varying floor area; and to provide such an equipment as willpresent a pleasing, ornamental and inviting arrangement, combined withpractical utility.

With the above and other minor yet important objects in viewtheinvention will be better understood from a perusal of the followingdescription, in connection with the accompanying drawings, and wherein:

Figure l is a plan view of a grocery store, illustrating theconstruction and arrangement of the equipment.

Figure 2 is a partial vertical elevational view of a portion of theunits comprising the shelving.

Figure 3 is a horizontal sectional view along the line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a sectional detail view of one of the supports for the unitscontaining the shelving.

Figure 5 is a detail sectional view of a rail, providing a trackway) forthe mer-.

chandise carrier or distributor, the view taken along line 5-5 of Figure6.

Figure 6 is an elevational view of the merchandise distributor, and

Figure 7 is a perspective view of a preferred form of shelf carried bythe shelving units.

Proceeding in accordance with the drawing and wherein different numeralsdesignate the various parts of the invention, 1 denotes a frameworkconstructed of T-iron, that is iron or other metal of an elongated formwith a central up-standing rib and 1a, 1926. ser al No. 0,698.

the drawingin igure 3. These strips can be bent at right angles to eachother and bolted together and thus form the frame. Spaced across the topand the bottom of the frame are cross-bars 2 of the same material, whichsupport the vertical shaft 3 of each of the units 4.

The shaft 3, as will be seen in Figured, is provided with ball bearingsupon which the shaft 3 rests directlythebearings therefor beingindicated at 5and is aided in its turning movement also by ball bearings6. These bearings are provided for the reason that the units 4; will befairly heavy and it is necessary that it turn easily to enable thecustomer to easily select the goodson any of the shelves.

These units are preferably polygonalshaped as shown in the drawing, andmay have as many sides as desired consistent with the practicaloperation of the unitary arrangement of the shelving. The units, as willbe observed in Figure 1, are placed preferably at the left of the storelooking from the entrance and have each a railing 7 with a space. forentrance to the railing giving access to the goods on the shelves, thuspermitting only one patron to select goods at one time and avoidingcrowding.

Adjacent each of the units a suspended wire 9 leading to cashier s stand10 from each of the' supports 8, the latter for the purpose of holding abasket for the customers goods. The cashier can thus easily return thebaskets to their supports when empty. u

The units 4 are further provided with divisional walls 11 radiating fromthe shaft 3 and have supports 12 for removable shelves '13see Figure 7.The preferred form of construction of these shelves is an upwardlyextending back portion 14 and a front lip 15, the lip for the purpose ofholding the goods in place and prevent their rolling out. As will bealso seen, the rear portion of the shelf doesnot come in contact withthe shaft 3, but all space available is utilized from the front of theunit to the shaft. The shelves are thus removable and may be supportedupon tracks or in any manner be tween the divisional walls, and can beremoved for cleaning and thereby provide a sanitary feature. Each unitis made large enough to hold a complete selection and sufii laterallyprojecting flanges, as depicted in cient amount of everything carried ina.

grocery store. Each unit also is designed to hold, sufiicient goods tosupply several customers before being refilled.

Each outer space between the divisional walls has a glass door 16 tokeepout dust and retain the goods in a sanitary condition.

Referring to Figure 1, in one corner of the store is disposed at A oneof the units Wherein fruit is displayed and in the center of the onlyinside the cashiers stand.

Several of the shelving units are arranged at a point B to the rear ofthe store and thus give the store a finished appearance.

To the rear of the shelving unitslocated at B is a meat block'19, acounter 20, and a refrigerator 21 for meat and the like which equipmentmay be added to the store equipment if desired.

The stock of goods is distributed and placed on the shelves to the rearof the frame supporting the main row of units and for this purpose thereis provided a suspended rail 22see also Figure 5. Arranged to move alongthis rail is a merchandise distributor 24, illustrated in Figure 6.. Thedistributor is also of a polygonal shape and follows the generalconstruction and appearance of the other equipment. Ithas rollers 27 formoving it about from any point when off the rail 22 in gathering thestock to be distributed. The distributor has a tackle arrangement 28 forlifting it to its position on the rail. The shelving units may thus bereplenished with stock without disturbing the customers, as all theunits are accessible from two sides. Tothe rear of unitspositioned at Bis a reserve space C for storage of goods.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that the equipment embodies apractical means for self-service stores and besides is very ornamental,presenting an inviting view to the customers. Each customer can beserved at one time without crowding, and the odd and novel shape of thecashiers stand enables freer access to the cashier than would otherwisebe possible.

It should be understood, however, that the shelving units may bearrangedin any 1nanner as will give an attractive appearance to thestore, and is not restricted to the arrangement shown. Othermodifications may also be made, in keeping with the spirit of theinvention.

hat is claimed is:

Selfservice store equipment comprising a plurality of polygonal shapedshelving units,

removable shelves therefor, each of said units having a central shaftmounted on ball bearings, divisional walls in the units radiatingfromsaid shaft, openings for doors be tween the walls, a railing with anentrance space adjacent each door and shelving unit, a basket stand foreach of said units, and a plurality of conveyors for returning thebaskets directly from a cashiers stand respectivelyto a plurality ofsaid stands.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

ALEXANDER, 0. ROBERT.

